You are my strength
by NaluDizzieGrey
Summary: Still plagued by the events after the 'Grand Magic Games' Natsu attempts to return to normality, but all he can think about is her. He finds it hard to sleep at night and begins to realise that he cares for Lucy, deeply, and his strengthening desire to always keep her safe no matter what. However it's difficult in a world where danger is always lurking around the corner... Post GMG
1. Chapter 1

You are my Strength

Chapter 1: Natsu

Natsu woke in a cold sweat, his throat raw and his mind a mess. Although this wasn't an unusual occurrence, the dreams were more constant now. They were always the same, he'd see her face, her beautiful face cold and lifeless. Blood pooling around her head, staining her blonde locks and her wide hazelnut eyes open... Open but empty. The recurring scene from after the Grand Magic Games still plaguing him. The lack of sleep was driving him crazy but he couldn't get away from it. All Natsu could think of... Was her. Seeing her everyday at the guildhall was a massive relief, a daily reminder that she was still alive, that she was okay. He couldn't imagine a world without out her, without Lucy Heartfilia.

Happy stirred slightly as the salmon haired wizard got up and padded to the door, he needed to get out. He silently apologised to his little blue exceed but had to see her. Throwing on a T-shirt and his sandals he was out the door and heading for strawberry street. Lucy's apartment had almost become a second home to him, it was full of her scent to which he had become so accustomed to. Walking at a fast pace, it didn't take long to get there at all. He stood still outside her window, worry continuing to fill his distressed mind. 'She'll be fine' he told himself, 'she's always fine whenever I come here' and with that he jumped up to perch on the sill. Low and behold, there she was sleeping soundly, and safe. His fear vanished instantaneously (as much as he disliked to admit it - he rarely feared much at all). Lucy carried on sleeping completely unaware of her usual late night visitor. Thankfully the ledge was quite large so Natsu could sit and watch her from outside, he wouldn't go in in fear of waking her. He was content to just watch. It put him at ease and eventually found himself finally drifting off, telling himself he'd leave before morning.

Unfortunately he didn't have the nicest of wake up calls. "Arrrrgghhhhhhhh" her shocked cry woke him immediately with a jolt, his body momentarily unaware that he was still perched on a 1st floor window ledge. Natsu learnt very quickly that nothing really gets you up in the mornings quite like falling from a window 10ft high onto the concrete ground beneath. "Omg Natsu are you okay" Lucy shouted, sticking her head out the window "hang on I'm coming down". A minute later she was at his side frantically milling around. He began to laugh but stopped as soon as a sharp pain flashed down his side. "Don't move Natsu. You idiot, what were you thinking?!" It made him smile to see how much she cared "Don't worry Luce, I'm fine honestly". He tried to sit himself up resulting in another burst of pain. "No you're not" was the blondes response "come on Nat" ever so gently she wrapped one arm behind his back and one on his waist pulling him to his feet. He leant some of his weight on her taking advantage of the close proximity between them as she slowly walked him up to her apartment.

"So are you going to tell me why you were sleeping on my windowsill?" Natsu looked at Lucy amused, his left arm and side bandaged nicely, "Nope" he smiled. The blonde scowled in frustration and swatted him in the side. "Ouch!" "Sorry I keep forgetting, is the pain alright? I mean do you want any painkillers or anything?" He loved how concerned she was about his wellbeing "I should be fine, you did a pretty good job patching me up though" he responded "sorry it's the best I can do and I don't think Wendy will be back from her mission for another few days or so". She packed up the first aid box in front of her and pushed it aside. She sat cross legged on the floor in front of him, still in her vest and pyjama bottoms, shaking her head disapprovingly. "What?" Natsu asked after a while of her silent staring "I really wish you wouldn't do stupid stuff like this all the time, I don't like seeing you get hurt..." He looked at quizzically as she got up and turned away, "I'm just going to have a shower, give me 20 minutes" and with that she walked out of the room.

AN: Hopefully this is going to be a long continuous story so bear with me. This is going to be my first long fanfic so I apologise if the updates are slow. Hope you all enjoy :3

Amaya-Mae x


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Lucy

The celestial Mage flicked the lock from inside the bathroom and stripped down before jumping in the shower. She sighed and let her head fall back onto the wall as the warm water cascaded onto her head. 'What the hell was he doing on my window sill in the first place?' Lucy had begun to notice certain changes in her salmon haired partner. It always seemed like he was watching her and had become more clingy somehow, she had grown slightly concerned. She pushed the thought out of her head and hurried with the cleaning her hair and body, not wanted to keep Natsu waiting too long.

Whilst pulling on some clean clothes (that she had brought into the bathroom) she decided that perhaps going on a job would get him out of his funk. Just them and Happy, after all they haven't gone out as the three of them for awhile. 'Wait, where is Happy?' The blonde thought to herself. It was weird of Natsu to just show up at her apartment without him. Opening the door she spied Natsu sprawled across her bed, she noticed that he'd changed into his usual attire (he always kept spare clothes lying around her apartment) "hey Natsu, where's Happy?" His eyes widened like he'd just remembered something important and right on cue, the blue feline burst through the open window "Luuuuuuuuuccccccccccyyyyyyyy! Waaaaaaaa" he crashed into her breasts and she wrapped her arms around him. "I woke up and I was all alone, Natsu abandoned meeeeee!" he continued to sob uncontrollably as she gave Natsu a questioning look. Natsu simply shrugged in response. "Jeez, come on you two lets go to the guild hall". She began to walk out the door and turned to see the fire Mage hadn't moved, he was just staring at her "you coming or not?" He blinked a couple of times and jumped to his feet, momentarily forgetting about his injuries with a wince, and followed her out of the door

"You're going to have to take it steady with your injuries Natsu" "I know I know, I just hope Wendy gets back soon this sucks". The pair were walking towards the guild (or hobbling in Natsu's case) "and have you forgiven me yet Happy?" He turned to the exceed who pouted and agreed he would if he would buy him a fish. As soon as they got to the guild hall Levy immediately called her over to discuss a new book she had finished. "I'll talk to you later Natsu". With that she smiled and headed off towards her petite best friend. "The ending of this had me in tears Lu-chan, thanks for lending it to me" she reached into her bag to pull out a neat hardback novel titled 'Jane Eyre' and handed it over "no problems Levy-chan".

Natsu

The fire dragon slayer watched the two girls from a distance, talking animatedly with each other. 'She really does love books' he thought to himself. "Oi Natsu what happened to you, Lucy beat you up huh?" He sighed in frustration before turning to the ice mage "screw you Fulbuster" was the response "and put some damn trousers on for Mavis sake". Gray jumped in surprise before running off to find his missing garment, completely unaware of a dark figure in the corner of the guild clutching them tightly with a disturbing smile plastered across her face. "Hey Mira" the ever gorgeous barmaid came swanning over to where Natsu was sitting at the bar "morning, what happened to you?" "Long story" he didn't really want to go around telling people the embarrassing truth "can I get a Natsu special, bowl of porridge with strawberries and a rubyfish please" Happy cheered in response, suddenly in a better mood. "Sure thing Natsu, 1950J please" she smiled as Natsu handed over the money before heading into the kitchen. He sat and chatted to Happy whilst waiting for the food, in much better spirits than he was the previous night.

"Hey Luce, I bought you some breakfast" Natsu said placing the porridge and strawberries in front of her and the fish for Happy. He sat down next to her and said hi to Levy who smiled in response. "Awh thanks Natsu, you're a babe, how much do I owe you?" Lucy began to reach for her purse but stopped as Natsu insisted that it was 'on him'. "Thank you" Natsu almost blushed from her sugary sweet smile. Just as he started to tuck in he saw Gajeel walk towards them and sit next to the small brunette, draping a large muscular arm across her shoulders. The two had been dating for a fair few months now, he remembered Lucy being ecstatic over the news although Natsu always saw them as an oddly matched couple personally. "How'd you manage that then Salamander?" He gestured towards the visible bandages "ah these? I was just aaah doing some intense training last night, fighting some monsters in the forest, you know how it is" Lucy coughed next to him. "Naaatsssuu, Luucccyy" Happy came flying over from the request board, flier in hand "I found a job" he dropped the paper in front of them then almost attacked the fish that Natsu had bought, shoving half of it in his mouth. The duo looked over the request...

TREASURE HUNT

180,000J reward

My elderly grandfather recently passed away. He left a large inheritance but hid it deep in the treacherous 'Gurando-jū' forest. I'm looking for both smart and able bodied wizards to retrieve it for me and will be paid a portion of it as a reward.

Location

OakWillow Mansion.

Tsuyoi Mokuzai Village,

Shinrin,

Fiore

AN: Thanks for the great response so far guys :3

Some handy bits of info...

100J is about 1US Dollar (or 100J = 65p if you're English like me)

Natsu's special order is *Fire Pasta, Fire Chicken & Fire Drink* (according to the anime)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Woah sounds perfect, let's go!" Natsu cheered, going to stand up before Lucy pulled him down "you want to go and battle monsters like that?" She queried referring to the bandages wrapped around his forearm. "Pffft this? This is nothing" he attempted to make a brave face but winced when Lucy poked him. She raised her eyebrows in response. "Look, we'll accept it but you have to wait till Wendy gets back okay?" begrudgingly he agreed. The salmon haired wizard carried on eating occasionally glimpsing at the beautiful woman beside him which didn't go unnoticed by the smirking Levy across the table. Her hair looked really nice today, it was so glossy and soft looking. Her flowing tresses so... Red? Patches of her hair had begun turning a crimson colour, no wait parts of her clothes too. Blood. It pooled around the seat where she sat, oozing out of an unknown place, and suddenly the entire room glowed with an eerie red hue. Slowly she turned her head towards him, a horrified expression on his face but unable to move. Her eyes were cold and lifeless just like his dreams. "Natsu" his name escaped her lips as everything else lost focus. "Natsu. Natsu? Are you okay?" He blinked a few times before spinning his head around the room. The colours were back to normal. He turned back round. Lucy was staring at him with wide brown eyes her hair still as golden as ever "Natsu are you feeling alri..." She stopped talking as the wizard in question reached out and smoothly ran his hand along the length of her hair sighing as he did so. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He pulled away and apologised before running out of the building. "Well that was weird" Gajeel stated breaking the silence as Lucy continued to stare blankly at where he was just moments ago. "Yeah" she traced where his hand had touched her hair "yeah it was".

AN: Sorry it's a bit of a short one, I've just had a complete block this week. Hope you're all doing well ;)

Amaya-Mae x


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Natsu

He got out of there fast, desperate to get home, a million images flashing through his mind. The nightmares he had to deal with for so long now invading him in his wake. Natsu worked through the pain in his side; it's burning not even a fraction of the thought of loosing Lucy. He knew it was more than just that though, he wanted to protect her sure, but he wanted more too. To hold her in his arms, care for her, be at her side, make her feel special, make her feel loved... Natsu stopped walking. "I love her" it was only then when he gazed up did he realise where he was. Strawberry Street. Of course. He thought of home and his feet led him here, she was his home. Without a second thought he used his flames to propel himself upwards towards her window, left unlocked from earlier that morning. He came to sit down on her bed, relishing the warmth and comfort it gave him and just stayed there with his head in his hands.

Lucy

"I'll be right back, I'm going to go after him" Lucy announced only to be cut off by Levy "actually Lu-chan I think you should give him some space" she stayed still for awhile, contemplating whether to go after him or not and as much as she longed to go, made the resolve to stay. Lucy sat back down on her chair "he just hasn't been himself recently, not since the games" the blunette paused, contemplating the notion "no one has really, we've all been affected in some way or another". Lucy found herself agreeing. She glanced around the room, recalling all the adversities the guild had to face, sure they'd all been through a lot before, but nothing quite on this scale. It was safe to say it had been a tough few months. Readjusting after a time skip is hard enough and they had the GMG as well as the dragons thrown onto their shoulders. However, like they always did, Fairy Tail got through it. Things were much brighter, they had the new guild hall, Gajeel and Levy got together and everyone seemed closer "Yeah I guess you're right" she responded. Gajeel stood up "why don't you two have a girly day or something, I've got some stuff to do anyway" "you sure?" he leant down to place a chaste kiss on his partners lips "yeah I'll see you later"and with a smile he walked away. "He's really good to you Levy, I've never seen you so happy" the script mage grinned broadly "that's because I've never felt so happy" she began fiddling with her fingers "it's just wonderful y'know, he's wonderful... Anyway, come on let's go do something" after weeks of recovery and a flood of new requests, the two hadn't been able to spend much time together at all so the thought of a day out with her best friend sounded great right about now. "Sure" and with that she followed Levy out of the guild hall and the pair headed in the direction of the shopping district.

Natsu

Natsu was pretty sure he was dreaming, but for once it seemed... Nice. Him and Lucy were laying side by side on the hill in the Sakura park, it was well past midnight but neither stirred they just lay there gazing at the stars, with Lucy pointing out constellations here and there. It was simple but perfect and all he could think about was how real he wanted it to be. Suddenly however, the stars began to disappear, flickering out like broken bulbs and then everything went dark. All around him was pitch black, the only sense of stability was the floor beneath his feet and the hand wrapped in his "Natsu!" "It's okay Luce I got you" he soothed although the conviction was not quite there "I'm cold Natsu, I'm so so cold. He went to pull the blonde closer but her hand was ripped from him. An icy shiver went down his spine. He reached out in front of him, he body gone. He cried out her name, no response. All he could do was scream her name as he fell further and further into the darkness...

Lucy

"Hey Levy-chan, do you mind if I just pop in that shop over there real quick" Lucy queried, her best friend was deeply engrossed in the selection of books in front of her "hmm yeah sure". The shop in question wasn't particularly glamorous from the outside, chipped paintwork and an old tattered sign reading 'the Empyrean Imperium' but what had caught her eye was the view from the window full of whimsical trinkets and ornate antiques "prehaps they have a celestial key?" the blonde said aloud" and wandered in. She loved the interior instantaneously after coming through the large oak door. The front of the building housed an array of similar objects to those on display as well as a variety of old books, she skimmed past briefly noting some of the titles 'Living with magic deficiency disease' 'Midas' gold touch & other tales' and 'Magic through the ages'. The back of the shop opened up slightly revealing black leather sofas and tables, a counter too but with no shopkeeper. Fairy lights and paintings adorned the red walls, giving a warm and homely feeling. She vowed to return on another day as she could easily see herself on one of the sofas reading from their selection of rare books and novels for hours and hours, but Levy was probably waiting for her so she reluctantly walked back up towards the door.

"So what did you get Levy-chan" she asked as the script Mage wandered out of the book store she was in "oh I couldn't decide between the murder mystery or the thriller so I got both". The two continued their shopping and chatting until the sun started to fade into auburn across the sky and they parted ways to their respective homes. It was around 5 by the time she returned to her little apartment on Strawberry street. Nights were closing in faster now that Summer was near its end. Lucy hauled two large bags of purchases up the staircase to her floor and fiddled around for her key, however just as she went to unlock it she heard a painful cry that made her whole body freeze. It was Natsu's voice...

AN: Thanks for the reviews and support, really means a lot. Love to hear what you guys think. Have a great week ;)

Amaya-Mae x


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lucy

Lucy stumbled with her keys nearly dropping them on the floor as she burst into her apartment. Natsu was sat bolt upright on her bed with sharp, open eyes. He turned to see her and took a deep breath like a sigh of relief. His glazed over pupils brightened immediately and he ran a hand through his greasy salmon hair. He was covered in sweat and his top gone, showcasing a rather impressive tanned body underneath. Inadvertently she bit her lip. As soon as she noticed, the blonde mage shook her head and cleared her throat "Natsu. What on earth are you doing in my bed?" She crossed her arms to regain her composure. Natsu smiled awkwardly and shrugged. "And why did you scream?" His smile faded. "Scream what scream?" He responded and scratched the back of his neck "you're a terrible liar" Lucy mused. "Don't worry about it" she furrowed her brows at that. "What you got there anyway?" He changed the subject gesturing at the bags in her hands. "Ah just went shopping with Levy earlier, books and clothes, that sort of thing. Here, where's Happy? You didn't leave him again did you?". He raised an eyebrow "i didn't abandon him no, he'll know where i am anyway".

It wasn't long before they had both completely forgotton about Natsu's most recent tremor. Lucy had pulled out some drinks and snacks, which of course the dragon slayer had devoured almost instantaneously, and they just sat on her bed and talked. It was so refreshing Lucy thought to herself, just to rest with her partner in crime and not have to worry about monsters, missions or mortal foes for once. Surprisingly, Natsu could be incredibly entertaining company when he wanted to. As the hours rolled by, the pair found themselves laying next to each other, head resting on head. Lucy had been working on a little hologram magic that she couldn't wait to show her pink haired partner. It took a particularly long time for the celestial wizard to use such a magic as it didn't require the use of a medium, like the keys she was so used to. With a few slight movements of her wrist and fingers, a deep blue mist began to appear above the two mages eventually forming into a stellar replica of outer space. She effortlessly plucked a star from its place and held it between her hands. Pulling softly, she made it grow in size before letting it float back up into the holographic pocket of space she had created. It wasn't a powerful magic, just an illusion really, but the look of awe on Natsu's face made her slightly giddy with pride. "When did you learn to do this? And how? It's... it's awesome!" He responded after awhile. "I've been teaching myself for awhile now, it's just some simple hologram charms, i can only really do space..." Lucy assumed that she could produce such an image due to her existing connection with celestial phenomena but she hadn't quite mastered anything else just yet. "Well i think it's incredible" he went to reach out and grab a nearby constellation and marvelled as his hand passed through entirely. Lucy gradually let the illusion fade "thanks" she turned and smiled at him.

Natsu

Natsu shifted his head also so they were looking directly at each other. Their faces so close. Suddenly all he could think about was kissing her... he wiped the thought away immediately. What was wrong with him recently?! He really wasn't himself at all. But the thought returned, and he found himself struggling more and more to resist the urge. Her eyes had fluttered shut by this point, a small smile still showcased on her soft, oh so delectable, pink lips. After the realisation from earlier that day, his feelings for the goddess of a woman sprawled next to him were becoming unbearably prominant. He wondered if anyone else had noticed, i mean, even he had only just realised himself. He wanted to stay there and never leave, but soon found himself guilty about leaving Happy by himself. He went to climb out the window as silently as possible, taking care not to wake Lucy and made haste for his hut in the woods which he shared with the little blue exceed. He was fast alseep by the time he got there, and noticed that the clock was on 2:44 am. Wow, him and Lucy really had been up for ages. He scooped him up in his arms and went straight back to Lucy's apartment. She'd probably get mad if he slept in her bed, so instead took it upon himself to scatter her expanse of pillows and spare duvets on her already soft floor to make a makeshift bed for them next to hers. He glanced up at her sleeping form briefly, golden trelleses falling against her cheek, and fell alseep himself. There was no nightmare that night. Not one.

AN: I haven't updated in the longest time, i know, I'm a horrible person please forgive me :'( It's been hectic and i am very good at procrastinating. But here it is. it's not that great a chapter, still trying to kick things off but i hope you enjoy nethertheless. Hoping to be more regular but I'm not making any promises... apologies in advance.

Amaya-Mae x


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Lucy

Lucy awoke as the sun inconsiderately streamed through her window, resulting in her sitting up to escape the glare. She stretched her arms above her head and worked out the crick In her neck. She briefly heard a mumble and opened her eyes curiously. She spied a certain dragon slayer and a little blue exceed curled up on a pile of pillows and blankets next to her bed. Of course they stayed round again. This was beginning to become a regular occurrence it seemed. She smiled slightly, Natsu actually looked quite cute when he was sleeping. She rolled herself out of bed, swinging her legs round to avoid waking up her partners, and padded to the kitchen. Considering that Natsu had bought her breakfast yesterday, Lucy decided to return the favour and pulled out a load of ingredients from her fridge for a fry up*. 'Cooking is always made better by music' she mused to herself and so popped in the new lacrima inner ear speakers** she had purchased the day before, she didn't want to wake up the boys just yet.

Natsu

Natsu shifted in his slumber, his sensitive nose contracting instinctively as the aperitive aromas of sausage and bacon filled his nostrils. His ears twitched also at the sizzling of the food in their pans and the faint sound of singing, wait, singing? He opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows at the sight he spied in the kitchen through the nearby doorway. His mouth broke into a huge grin and quickly went to wake up Happy, who was currently curled up in his lap. "Natsssuuuu" he yawned "wait why are we at Lucy's apar..." He stopped talking when Natsu put his hand over the exceeds mouth and pointed to the kitchen. Lucy was dancing around in the kitchen in her pyjamas while cooking and singing along to music they couldn't hear. She was very into it and smiling from ear to ear, clearly unaware of the boys watching and giggling from a distance. "What do you say we sneak up and scare her huh Happy?" Who, mischievously agreed of course. Natsu pulled his scarf up to cover the lower portion of his face and the two quickly and silently rolled into the kitchen like ninjas. They waited for their blonde partner to put down the frying pan in her hand before launching their attack however, they weren't ridiculously stupid after all. Just moments later they sprung out from their hiding place under the table and threw themselves at a very surprised blonde bundling into a heap on the floor. "Aaagghhhh Natsu! Happy!". Lucy pulled out the lacrimas from her ears and immediately, in true Lucy fashion, whomped*** the pair of them. Of course making Natsu wince slightly, probably not the best decision for an injured man but oh so worth it, but they carried on laughing at her reaction and she had to admit, Natsu's boyish charm and smile was infectious and her lips eventually broke out into a look of amusement. "I was trying to do something nice and make you guys breakfast as well!" "You made us breakfast!" Cheered Happy. Natsu got up excitedly, pulling Lucy to her feet also "You're the best Luce". She smiled softly in response at the comment but all Natsu could do was look at her. God she was beautiful, especially so in her pyjamas with her hair all a mess. To him, she always looked gorgeous. They both soon realised that they were standing flush up against each other with his arm wrapped around her waist. The pulled apart quickly and caught sight of Happy scoffing down a rasher of bacon, "Oi I haven't even dished up yet!" mockingly scolded Lucy and Natsu simply complained how unfair it was for Happy to start with out him.

Lucy

Lucy loved mornings like these. Natsu and Happy had become the little family that she always wanted. Of course she loved her parents dearly but she never got to sit like this on a Sunday morning and just eat and talk and laugh. It was precious to her. She was so fortunate that these people had stumbled into her life, the guild, everyone but especially Natsu she mused to herself. He was her best friend after all. Yeah. Her best friend, that's why she cared so much. Well that's what she told herself anyway.

AN: *fry up... I'm english what do you expect

**basically headphones

***whomped. I think that means hit right?

I felt I was wandering too far from Natsu's personality a bit so I wanted to show his mis he iOS side a little. I'm trying to be a bit more regular as I have more time on my hands so I shall hopefully have more updates for you all soon.

Thanks for all the lovely comments, favourites and follows by the way guys, I am greatly humbled. :) x

Amaya-Mae x


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Natsu

Our trio walked into the guild later in the afternoon, Natsu's arm casually slung over Lucy's shoulder, all the while laughing and smiling. Happy flew almost immediately over to Carla and Wendy who had just returned that morning. Natsu and Lucy also made their way over slowly. The blonde haired mage going over to greet and hug Wendy with Natsu's arm slipping from where it was over her shoulders. He smiled at the interaction but felt anxious about loosing the contact with her. A flashback of his most recent dream played over in his mind leaving him wide eyed. He quickly shook it off when he realised the youngest dragon slayer was talking to him. "Hi Natsu-San, I heard you were injured, want me to take a quick look?" "Sure, thanks Wendy, it's only minor but Lucy won't let me go on any missions like this" he flashed her a small grin to which Lucy rolled her eyes. "No problem" Wendy smiled sweetly gesturing for him to sit down. While Wendy got to work he watched his partner intently, just noting the simple things like how small dimples appeared when she smiled while talking to Happy and the way she tucked her hair behind her ear... She was only across the table from him yet he still felt a sense of detachment. His emotions had been so conflicting recently. Only this wild, wonderful woman could make him so happy and yet melancholy at the same time. "There, all done" Wendy announced. Natsu hadn't even been paying attention to what she had been doing. He stretched his arms out above his head and smiled when he felt no pain. "Woah, thanks Wen, you're magic never ceases to amaze me" she blushed slightly at the comment. "So how did your Job go?" Enquired Lucy, shifting down the bench so she could sit down next to her. "Oh really well, I definitely think I'm getting stronger" "ah well I might have to take you on at some point there" Natsu teased. The group carried on chatting for awhile before Wendy excused herself to go find Erza. "Want to go check if that Job is still available?" Lucy suggested. "Aye!" Happy concurred and so they made their way over to the request board. Sure enough, the job was still available. "It's not too far but I think we should get the train there, so we can start quicker" Natsu shivered at the thought but agreed, he knew how much Lucy hated travelling by foot. After accepting the Job from Mira the group made the plan to meet at Lucy's in a few hours time, giving them the opportunity to pack.

Lucy

Packing wasn't Lucy's only intention however, after visiting that quaint store the other day she was intrigued to return and so headed in the direction of town. She smiled when she spied the 'Empyrean Imperium' for the second time. There was just something so appealing about the bantam shop. Perhaps it was the name? She stepped inside and it appeared empty. Once spying the bookshelves she decided that she should purchase something interesting to read on her journey. There were books of all sorts of nature, seemingly arranged in no particular order at all, some new, some old and in all shapes, colours and sizes. Normally this composition would exasperate her OCD tendencies but there was something mildly pleasing about its disorganisation. She ran her fingers along one shelf like piano keys taking in all the different titles until one in particular caught her eye 'Encyclopaedia of Known Dragons and their Abilities'. It wasn't particularly large, she noted straight away, there must be a lack of information to work with she supposed. The book itself was clearly old and slightly tattered, the cover simply showed the same debossed text from the spine and the authors name 'Frederick Tatian'. Just as she went to open the book she heard a voice which made her nearly drop it in surprise "Hello there". After collecting herself she looked up to see a handsome young man before her with bleach blonde hair and the deepest emerald green eyes. They seemed to shine, contrasting his pale skin, despite being slightly hidden behind large square spectacles. He stood tall dressed in attire that didn't seem to match his age at all, right down to a tweed jacket and bow tie. He pushed said glasses further up his nose and smiled a small sweet smile. "Um, hi" Lucy responded, nervously fumbling about both surprised by his sudden appearance and slightly embarrassed by his attractiveness. She found herself blushing slightly. "What can I do for you miss?" "Ah Lucy, Lucy Dra.. Heartfillia. Lucy Heartfillia" she blushed further, how did she nearly get her own name wrong?! "Nicholas Roussos" the man returned. "I was just looking at your collection of books here" she continued "quite the array I must say". "Why thank you, I do like to explore different themes in all types of literature, I suppose you are interested in literature miss Heartfillia?" He liked books! It seemed rare to find a gentleman who happened to share this passion of hers "oh yes, I am an avid reader!" Lucy couldn't understand why she had become so flustered, It wasn't like her to be affected in this manner, it was just his eyes... They were... Entrancing... She shook off the strange sensation "I'd just like to get this book please, how much?" She asked reaching into her bag "ah for you? Free miss Lucy" "really? Oh no I couldn't possibly" the man held up his hands "I insist, of course only on the affirmation that you should return, it's always refreshing to converse with another literature enthusiast" she smiled at that and found herself agreeing unable to say anything otherwise. "Thank you, I really must go now" Lucy clumsily shuffled to the door and was pleasantly surprised when Nicholas opened it for her with a consistently sweet grin. She smiled back and hastily exited. She released a breathe, and blinked several times. What an unusual encounter. Sure Nicholas was charming, handsome and clearly intellectual and she felt an odd appeal. Alongside this however was an uneasy sensation that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She made haste for her apartment, book in hand, in order to go pack, completely unaware of two green eyes fixated on her as she went on her way...

AN: I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Starting to get more into the story now :3

Amaya-Mae x


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Lucy

Lucy fumbled absent mindedly with the now worn request sheet, twirling it between her hands. She was completely packed and waiting at the station whilst Natsu went off to purchase their tickets. Shinrin (where their job was situated) wasn't located too far away for them to travel but the blonde couldn't recall ever stopping there before. She imagined the vast expanse of trees that the forest area was home to which caused her mind to wander back to the green gems of eyes that met hers in the quaint little shop barely hours ago. Piercing. Mesmerising. "They only had separate compartments available on the train so I got us one of those" Natsu's voice made her forget about Nicholas completely. He held the tickets up in one hand and Lucy noted how the golden autumn light (now starting to fade) contrasted beautifully against his thick pink hair. She smiled. "Maybe I'll get some peace and quiet" she jumped up ready to hop on the train Happy flying past claiming that he got first choice of seat in the carriage. She could see her partner instantly pale at the sight of the train before them and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze to which he beamed brightly in response.

"Thanks for the help with the bags Happy" Lucy announced sarcastically, coming into their rather small birth compartment. "But Russhii, I'm too tired to carry anything! I haven't eaten anything in at least 20 minutes" Lucy scoffed. Natsu heaved the larger of the two backpacks onto the shelves above the seats just as the train lurched forward causing him to flop onto the closest seat like a sheet of paper. Lucy shook her head and sat herself opposite. The journey would be roughly 2 hours or so which the celestial mage didn't mind at all. Travelling like this gave her the perfect opportunity to add to her novel and catch up on some reading. Her life had become so hectic recently that she rarely had time to do so. She missed being able to read. The feel of a book was so comforting, the weight of the pages, the scent, but mostly the escapism that came with it. A good book could take you anywhere and make you emphasise with little fictional people in their vast fictional worlds. Ironically it helped her feel sort of grounded. The scenery rushed past, blurring towns and countryside into one as she read her favourite romance novel for the millionth time. She spied her pink haired partner now sleeping with the most uncomfortable look on his face, with Happy laying just on top mumbling something or other about fish. It had fallen dark, they'd most likely have to stay in a hotel for the night before setting out for their quest the following morning. Looking at the sleeping dragon slayer reminded her of the little book she had picked up earlier and so reached into her bag to have a little read. The pages were considerably worn and it appeared to be completely handwritten. The contents were unique to say the least she noted as she flicked through. Every couple of pages had eclectic but odd bits of information neatly scrawled across them followed by beautifully painted pictures of their corresponding dragons. She pondered how much time must have been spent on adding all the little details and collecting all that information. She had become a lot more intrigued reading through than she thought she would, taking time to examine each little drawing. Oddly however, she didn't come across any recognisable names. She hoped to find out about Grandine, Metallicana and of course Igneel but there was no reference to them anywhere. "Odd" she said quietly to herself.

The journey felt longer than 2 hours for Lucy with no one really to talk to, but Natsu who seemed to have had a pleasant nap was full of energy, much too bubbly for her liking at such a hour. Although she admitted that she liked when he was acting his normal self, especially after all that had happened. "Look Luce" he pointed out, "There's a decent looking hotel we can stay in for the night". It was fairly basic in its appearance, red brick, carbon copy windows and cream drapes. "Great! I would love a hot bath before bed" she indulged simply at the thought. They stepped into the foyer and winced slightly at the brightness of the lights compared to the completely dark night sky. An overly smiley lady with her hair in a neat little updo presented them with the prices of two rooms to which Lucy looked on in distaste. "We could always just get one room and share if that's cheaper, I mean there's no point wasting so much money on just one nights stay" she had to admit, he had a valid point but for some reason felt slightly nervous at the idea. "Oh sure cool" she stumbled slightly, "a single room with two beds please" "certainly" the woman responded, trading the handful of jewels for a room key. "Complimentary breakfast starts at eight and your room is just down the hall on the right". The overly smiley woman lifted her hand in said direction not before raising the interest of two certain people at the words 'complimemtary' and 'breakfast'.

Natsu

Frankly, Natsu was surprised that Lucy agreed to sharing a room, perhaps she was just too tired to argue. He didn't see it as much of an issue though, he slept in her room all the time, he figured it was something to do with how she was raised. The room itself was a lot smaller than he would have hoped but it was one of the cheaper rooms he mused. They had barely managed to squeeze two single beds into the tiny space. One pushed up against the outer wall, the other against what he presumed was the bathroom wall with barely enough space to walk inbetween. It seemed slightly clinical with the crisp white sheets and the plain white walls to match but he wouldn't complain. After all, a bed was a bed. Lucy claimed the farther one instantly, bouncing on it and sprawling across it. She sent him a killer smile and he swore his heart skipped a beat in that moment. He internally slapped himself. C'mon Natsu, pull yourself together. Happy flew over to the blonde "I want to share with Lucy, she's squishy" her smile faded quickly "are you saying I'm fat you damn cat!" And threw a pillow at his head, which Natsu of course found hilarious until a pillow hit him square in the face. "Whoops" Lucy jumped back on her bed before Natsu barrelled her over, Happy escaping momentarily. She attempted in vain to defend herself with her last remaining pillow but laughing as he had her pinned and tickled. He let her catch her breathe and only then realised the position that had come into. One strong hand held her two dainty ones above her head with his other hand by her side and a leg propped up inbetween hers. She fell quiet and he realised that she sensed it too. That electricity. They were both breathing heavily and he felt himself compelled to move in closer. He wanted to kiss her. To act upon the desire that had been taunting him for so long. He could do it right now, and she seemed to have no intention of stopping him as her eyes hazed over. And just as he went forward to seal the painfully long distance of mere centimetres... Happy turned on the lacrima television, blasting out sound and sending the two jumping far apart from each other almost instantly. "Look Natsu! A fish programme!" announced the exceed joyfully, completely oblivious to the magical moment he had just severed at the click of a button. Lucy quickly got up, stating that she was going to have a shower whilst failing to hide the deep red colour her face had turned as she hastily shuffled into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The 19 year old held his head in his hands. I can't believe I was about to kiss her...

Lucy

"I can't believe he was about to kiss me!?" Lucy whispered to herself while stripping off. "I mean he was actually about to kiss you..." She wiggled out of her skirt and kicked it across the floor "or maybe he was waiting for you to kiss him, ugh I should have done it! Or maybe I'm imagining things..." She slipped out of her underwear too and hopped into the tight crevasse of a shower. "Maybe he wasn't going to kiss me at all and I'm just an idiot... No no he definitely was... Ugghh or was he?". She flipped on the hot water and continued her torment internally hoping that the hot cascade of water would wash the awkward memory away.

It was the moment she walked out of the shower that Lucy came to the realisation, she had made a horrible decision. There. Were. No. Towels... There was a little cupboard she remembered as she came into their room, lined to the teeth with lovely, fluffy, white towels. She could picture them now. Warm and dry, and sitting so close yet so far away, she couldn't just run out and get them. She was going to have to have assistance. "Natsssuu?" The blonde opened the door slightly and poked only her head through. There was no response and the room was dark and quiet. "Pssst Nat" she whispered a little louder. Damn. They were both asleep. Typical. She would have to venture into their little room... Naked. She took a breathe and quickly ran to the cupboard across from her, fumbling slightly but managing to drape a towel around herself in what she felt was a flash. She let out the breathe she was unaware that she had been holding in, straightened her back and walked elegantly to her bag and back to the brightly lit bathroom to change. Little did she know that for the second time that day a pair of eyes had been watching her waltz away. A pair of eyes that belonged to a now incredibly flustered salmon haired dragon slayer.

AN: I know it's been awhile since an update and I apologise :( trying to extend chapters a little bit more. Getting into the swing of things now ayyy


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